Children Of the Atom
by PunkMutantGargoyleChica
Summary: "...a family of ferals, a dragon who's emotionally touchy, a punk osmosian, and you, big fella, have managed to piss 'em all off." What if there were Mutants with the Avengers? Loki/OC Thor/OC Bruce/OC
1. She's Acting Up

"...a family of ferals, a dragon who's emotionally touchy, a punk osmosian, and you, big fella, have managed to piss 'em all off."

* * *

My OCs.

Sophia Creed. AKA Cougar. 6' tall, shoulder-length black hair, thick Russian accent, known for using her enemies as scratching posts. She's Victor Creed's mate (i'm talking origins version) and mother to his daughters. She can extend her fangs and claws. She has the same agility and stamina as Victor and can talk her way out of any situation.

Betty-Jean Creed. AKA Tigress. Daughter of Victor and Sophia Creed. 5' 4". Long dirty blond hair like her father, Same mutations as her parents. She can also shape shift into a tiger. looks twenty, really ninety-six. She's sarcastic and witty. Never afraid to speak her mind.

Sydney Creed. AKA Simba. The youngest child of Victor Creed. 3' 6". Black hair usually in a looses pony tail. looks five, really twenty-two. She's playful and naive. She is more of a lion cub than anything else, being why she's called Simba.

Regina Maddison, Rema (nickname) AKA Dragona. Physical mutations. Green scaly skin, yellow cat eyes, gargoyle wings, claws, fangs and breathes fire. Long red hair and stands 5' 8". Very self conscious about her appearance. prefers to fly more than anything else.

Carter Maxx AKA Osmosis. Hair dyed lavender. 6' 3". She can touch any solid matter and her body turns into it. Skate boarding rebel with no cause.

* * *

Victor was being withheld by SHIELD until his release. Sophia was promised if she cooperated with SHIELD, her family would be safe and Victor would be released sooner. She and her younger daughter were at a small cabin in Canada, hoping that Victor would come home soon. Sydney prayed every night to God that He'd bring her father home. It was enough make her sister cry. Betty-Jean dealt with her grief by being a SHIELD agent. Taking her anger out on others, just like her father. But unlike her father, got along well with others, like her best friend and fellow SHIELD agent, Hawkeye.

Tonight was very different from any other night. Tonight, the Tesseract was acting up. This called for drastic measures. Nick Fury was called in. As he landed, he was greeted by Coulson. "How bad is it?" He asked the agent.

"That's the problem, sir." Coulson said. "We don't know." Twenty minutes and an elevator ride down later, Coulson continued. ""Dr. Selvig read an energy surge from the Tesseract four hours ago."

"NASA didn't authorize Selvig to go to test phase." Fury interrupted.

"He wasn't testing it. He wasn't even in the room." The agent explained. "Spontaneous event."

"It just turned itself on?" Agent Hill asked as she followed Coulson and Fury.

"Where are the energy levels on it now?" Fury asked.

"Climbing." Coulson answered. "When Selvig couldn't shut it down, we ordered evac."

"How long to get everyone out?" The director asked.

"Campus should be cleared in the next half hour." Coulson answered again.

"Do better." Fury stated before walking into the room holding the Tesseract. "Talk to me, Doctor."

Selvig turned to Fury. "Director."

"Is there anything we know for certain?" Fury asked.

"The Tesseract is misbehaving." The good Doctor answered.

"Is that supposed to be funny?"

"No, it's not funny at all." Selvig stated. "The Tesseract is not only active, she's behaving."

"I assumed you pulled the plug." Fury stated.

"She's an energy source." Selvig explained. "We turn off the power, she turns it right back on. If she reaches peak level-"

"We prepared for this, Doctor." Fury interrupted. "Harnessing energy from space."

"But we don't have the harness." The Doctor said. "My calculations are far from complete. And she's throwing off interference, radiation. Nothing harmful, low levels of gamma radiation."

"That can be harmful." The Director said bluntly. "Where are the agents I assigned here?"

"The Tigress and the Hawk are up in his nest, as usual." Selvig pointed behind him.

Up at an emergency exit, Agents Hawkeye and Tigress were looking down at the work below. Tigress wore a black beanie over her head, along with a black SHIELD suit just like Natasha would normally wear. She growled lowly as she saw Fury motioning them to join him.

"I gave both of you this detail so you could keep a close eye on things." Fury said.

"Well, I see better from a distance, sir." Clint explained.

After a moment of silence, Fury looked at Betty-Jean. "What's your excuse, Creed?"

She just shrugged. "I prefer not being in the way."

"Have either of you seen anything that might set this thing off?"

"Doctor, it's spiking again." One of the scientists said.

"No one's come or gone." Betty-Jean stated.

"Selvig's clean." Clint added. "No contacts, no I.M.'s."

"If there's any tampering, sir, it wasn't at this end." The mutant stated.

"'At this end'?" Fury repeated.

"Yeah." Clint stated. "The Cube is a doorway to the other end of space, right...doors open from both sides."

Suddenly, the Cube sparked. It was happening again. It was really crackling this time. So much so that it made the whole building rumble. Betty-Jean growled and soon roared toward the Cube, getting an extremely bad feeling of what was about to happen. A sudden blast came from the cube and it opened the portal. Something was seen coming out, and it wasn't human. The portal then closed, and something...or someone was crouched in it's place. Smoke was rolling off of him. Guards raised their guns and slowly stepped toward him.

The figure looked up with a sinister look on his face. Betty-Jean didn't like it one bit. "Sir." Fury suddenly said. "Please put down the spear."

Betty-Jean noticed the way the man looked at his spear and back at them. "I don't think he plans to do that." She said. She was right. The man fire blast beams from his golden scepter at them. Thankfully, Clint pushed them all out of the way. The man then ran up and stabbed one of the guards. They immediately found out that he was bullet-proof when he deflected the bullets fired at him and threw daggers at two more guards, killing them instantly. He effortlessly killed more guards, even some scientists. Once everything settled, he just panted and looked at his handy work.

Clint stood. But before he could retaliate, the man ran up and held his arm away. "You have heart." He then tapped the end of his scepter to Clint's chest and suddenly, he was under a spell. Clint put his gun back in its holster and stood at attention.

Betty-Jean was able to push a suitcase toward Fury. He then was able the grab the Cube and stuff it in the suitcase. It didn't go unnoticed. "Please don't." The man said after putting another agent under his spell. "I still need that." Betty-Jean growled at the man, not too happy with everything he'd done so far.

"This doesn't have to get any messier." Fury said.

"Of course, it does." The man countered. "I've come too far for anything else. I am Loki, of Asgard. And I am burdened with glorious purpose."

"Loki?" Selvig questioned as he stood. He was no more than five feet away from Betty-Jean. "Brother of Thor." The mutant rolled her eyes. She remembered all the nights the doctor would talk about Thor. It made her want to rip her ears off.

"We have no quarrel with your people." Fury tried.

"An ant has no quarrel with a boot." Loki countered.

"Are you planning to step on us?" The Director asked.

"I come with glad tidings." Loki explained as he walked toward Selvig. "Of a world made free."

"Free from what?" Betty-Jean asked.

Loki turned to her with a smirk on his face. He looked her up and down, not caring if she noticed. The mutant didn't need to be a mind-reader to know what he was thinking. "Freedom. Freedom is life's great lie." He then turned to Selvig. "Once you accept that, in your heart," He then pressed the tip of his scepter at Selvig's heart, putting him under the spell as well. "You will know peace."

"Yeah, you say 'peace'. I kinda think you mean the other thing." Fury stated.

"Sir," Clint interrupted as he walked to Loki's side. "Director Fury and Agent Tigress are stalling. This place is about to blow and drop a hundred feet of rock on us. They mean to bury us."

It was Betty-Jean's turn to smirk. "Like the pharaoh's of old." She said.

"He's right." Selvig agreed. "The portal is collapsing in on itself. We've got maybe two minutes before this goes critical."

"Well, then." Loki said to Clint. The agent then pulled his gun and shot Fury in the chest, making him fall backwards. He then shot Betty-Jean in the right cheek, causing her face to jerk to the side.

Loki expected her to be dead. He was shocked to see her still standing and crack her neck to the side. She then moved her jaw a bit, almost like she was chewing. She then spat the bullet out of her mouth and onto the floor. "I hate it when you do that, Clint." She grumbled. He then saw the bullet hole in her cheek heal before his eyes.

The Silver-tongue stepped toward the mutant and pulled her beanie off, revealing her tiger ears on top of her head. "No wonder they call you 'Tigress'. Even on Asgard, such a combination of beauty and power is indeed a rare treasure. You will do well as me queen." He then tapped the scepter to her breasts, expecting her to be his. But he was shocked again to find her eyes were not blue, like they should have been.

She grinned, showing her fangs. "Mind tricks don't work on ferals." She then extended her claws and swiped Loki's shoulder. She heard him hiss before running to the suitcase. Unfortunately, Barton was faster and snatched the suitcase before her. The god and his hypnotized lackeys rushed out. Betty-Jean knew not to leave Fury behind. She struggled with dragging him out. She didn't pay attention to anything else around. When she dragged the Director to his helicopter. He sure as Hell wasn't too injured if he could fire his pistol at Loki, who was getting away on a military hummer with Clint, Selvig and a few other agents. "Fury! It won't work!" She shouted. And she was right. She hated being right today.

Loki fired a blast from his scepter and hit the helicopter. Fury and Betty-Jean leapt from the Helicopter before it crashed. She was disappointed to see him still shoot at Loki, even after his first failed attempt. _"Director? Director Fury, do you copy?"_

Fury picked up his radio and responded. "The Tesseract is with a hostile force. I have men down. Hill?"

_"A lot of men still under. I don't know how many survivors." _Hill answered.

"Sound a general call. I want every living soul not working rescue looking for that briefcase."

_"Roger that."_ Hill responded.

"Coulson, get back to base. This is a Level Seven. As of right now, we are at war." The way Fury said that made Betty-Jean want to run. She never got the chance when he turned to her. "Prepare to get your mother and sister. With something like Loki out there, I don't want anyone to get hurt."

She nodded before asking, "What about my father?"

After a few moments of silence, he answered. "If you and your mother cooperate, I'll release him."


	2. Rise Of The Mutants

Betty-Jean was able to get to her mother's house quickly. The convincing was quite easy. Soon the whole female Creed family was on their way to the Hellicarrier. Anything to keep her family safe and get her father back. As soon as they were safe, Fury and Coulson were able to bring in two others.

* * *

Coulson sat in an airboat as it flew across the Honey Island bayous. Soon, he came up to a year-round carnival. The banner at the entrance read:

Honey Island Freak Show

He rolled his eyes at the sign. Some people just didn't get it. He paid for entrance and walked around. The music of the bayou played as he saw different people on display with their many talents. Sword swallowing, contortion, tight rope walking, juggling, people completely covered in tattoos, even lying on beds of nails. But the last display was what he was looking for. It was a cage formerly used to hold big cats, but what lived in it was some what smaller. The sign read:

The Living Breathing Honey Island Swamp Monster

He shook his head. "Do you honestly think this is the best hiding spot?" Coulson asked toward the cage.

From the back of the cage, a pair of green-scaled hands quickly grabbed the bars. Pulling herself to the front, the reptilian mutant lifted her hear to look at the agent. "Coulson?" Her southern-drawn voice rasped.

"It's been a long time, Rema."

She rolled her eyes. "Not long enough in my opinion. Why are you here, and don't say it's to watch the sword swallowers."

Coulson gave a small smile. "I'm here to say that we need you." He then pulled out his phone an pulled up the picture of the Tesseract. "This was stolen not even twenty-four hours ago. The Tesseract gives off low levels of gamma radiation. But it has unlimited power."

Rema sighed. "And this matters to me why?"

"C'mon, Rema. Despite your mutations, SHIELD made the best professors from the best schools teach you. We both know you excelled better than most shield agents. Besides, Stark would have a field day with you."

"Yeah, but it wouldn't be for my intelligence." She grumbled.

Coulson was silent for a few moments. "I know you hate it here. I would too if I was locked up inside a cage only to be stared at by people who didn't understand me. I also know how much you love using your intelligence. So please, if not for the world, than at least for your own sanity."

Rema thought for a moment before reaching the side of her cage. She pulled at a latch and a door opened. "You do know that mutants run this freak show, right?" She smirked. She rolled out and walked up to the agent. "Count me in."

* * *

Fury was not very happy with the location his target was at. He was currently walking through a crowd gathered in Central Park. Gathering around a giant half-pipe, everyone cheered the young punk doing incredible tricks. She was smiling the whole time. Suddenly, the announcer spoke into a microphone when the skater finished her tricks and landed back on one side of the half-pipe. "Alright. Everyone get ready for the main event. The moment you all have been waiting for. Our girl, Carter Maxx, will attempt the impossible. And to help witness this, we have the only man to ever attempt and succeed this not once, but twice in recorded history, the Birdman himself, Tony Hawk!" Everyone cheered as the pro skater raised his hands in the air. "Our girl will attempt a 900!" Everyone screamed even louder.

Carter set up her board at the edge of the half-pipe, standing on it before taking several deep breaths. She looks out at the crowd and smiles before letting herself go. Going down the ramp, she kept going back and forth, gaining her momentum. She finally took off, into the air and spun. She counted the spins in her head. _'One.'_ She was just now in the air._ 'Two.'_ She was just now going down and almost landing on the ramp._ 'Two and a ha-'_ She miscalculated and the nose of her board hit the platform, while she skid down the ramp, her board followed and stopped just a little further ahead of her.

Everything was silent. Everyone was silent. Suddenly, Carter stood and walked away from the ramp. She was ashamed. Going to her tent, she soon heard the crowd cheering for her again. She heard the chant, "ONE MORE TRY!" But she just sat in her tent, not happy with what just took place. She heard the flap of her tent move and turned to find Fury standing there. "I would have thought someone as stubborn as you would've gotten back up there and tried again."

Carter sighed. "And I thought I told you to stay away from me." She didn't want to deal with this. "Look, I know that when you found me, I said I'd help you anyway I could. But I finally found something I'm good at without using my powers."

"No, you didn't. If that were the case, you'd go back out there and try that 900 again. But instead, you're in here, feeling sorry for yourself. Maybe the reason you feel like trying to be good at something else is because we never really gave you a reason to stay."

"And, what? You have one now?"

"Yes." He then held out a picture from a security camera that showed Loki and his scepter. "This is Loki. He just recently arrived on Earth with the intension of taking over. And we both know how much you hate authority higher than me. So, unless you want to bow down to this psychopath, I suggest you join the fight."

Carter was silent for a moment. She remembered all the intense training she went through to control her mutation. She also remembered the friends she made. Coulson. Clint. Natasha. Betty-Jean. Rema. They supported her in everything she did, even her choice to leave. She looked back at Fury with confident glint in her eyes. "I'm in."

* * *

Sophia carried Sydney on her hip like a small child, even though it irritated the girl. They walked around the Hellicarrier, looking at everything and memorizing new scents. They walked through a corridor and passed a large metal door. Sophia could only smell bleach on it. "They really do their best to keep this place clean, huh, Simba?" She asked her daughter, her accent surely making Mother Russia proud.

Sydney eyed the door for a few moments before noticing a scuff from a boot on the floor in front of the door. She didn't know why her mother didn't notice, but as they walked away, she took a quick sniff of the air and only one thought entered her mind.

_"Papa?"_

* * *

Betty-Jean met up with Rema and Carter in the control room. They all hugged like long-lost sisters. All the training they endured only made them grow closer. Soon, they saw Natasha walk in with two men following close behind. One she recognized as Steve Rogers. She remembered reading his comic books back when they first came out. She'd always beg her father to get her the newest issue every time he left the house.

The second man, she didn't recognize. But he smelled of urban poverty. He must have come from a village in another country. He seemed timid and nervous. Not something good for a SHIELD agent.

Fury turned to everyone before receiving a ten dollar bill from Rogers. The popsicle then decided to walk around. Fury then approach The second man with his hand held out. "Doctor, thank you for coming." So, he was a doctor?

"Thanks for asking nicely." The doctor replied sarcastically. Betty-Jean smirked. She liked this guy. "So, how long am I staying?"

"Once we get our hands on the Tesseract, you're in the wind." The director answered.

"Where are you with that, by the way?" Rema asked as she walked up. The good doctor slightly flinched at the sight of the green-scaled mutant.

Fury decided on introductions. "Doctor Banner, this is Regina Maddison. She is our most scientifically knowledgeable agent of SHIELD. Rema, this is Doctor Bruce Banner. The best man when it comes to gamma radiation."

"Nice to meet you." Rema said without turning to him. She knew Banner was staring at her, even outside the freak show, she was seen as nothing else. With a quiver of sadness, she whispered, "Please, don't stare."

Coulson could feel Rema's uneasiness, so he tried to cut the tension. "We're sweeping every wirelessly accessible on the planet. Cell phones, laptops, if it's connected to a satellite, it's eyes and ears for us."

"That's not good enough." Rema replied.

"It's still not gonna find them in time." Natasha said as she turned from a computer screen with Clint's profile on it.

"You have to narrow your field." Bruce stated. "How many spectrometers do you have access to?"

"How many are there?" Fury asked.

"Call every lab you know. Tell them to put the spectrometers on the roof and calibrate them for gamma rays. I'll rough out a tracking algorithm."

"Basic cluster recognition." Rema concluded with a smirk. "Great strategy. At least we could rule out a few places."

"Do you have somewhere for me to work?" Bruce asked.

"Agent Romanoff? Could you show Dr. Banner and Agent Maddison to their laboratory, please?" Fury directed.

"You kids are gonna love it. We got all the toys." The assassin stated.

Before she could follow, Coulson called, "Rema, I have something for you." The mutant watched as Coulson walked up to her while reaching in his pocket. He pulled out a necklace that had the SHIELD pendant on it. "I've held onto it since you left."

She smiled as she put it on. "Does it still work?" She asked as she wrapped her tail around her waist and draped her wings over her shoulders. (A/N: if you've seen the cartoon gargoyles, you remember how they draped their wings over their shoulders.)

The agent smiled. "It should."

Rema activated the device and waited. Her image then changed. She soon appeared to look normal. Her skin was white and slightly tanned, her eyes were blue, her hair was still red and her teeth looked normal. She looked human. "Thanks Coulson." She then hugged the agent and jogged back to return to Natasha and Bruce.

* * *

Sophia had fallen asleep in her room, too exhausted to do anything else. Her only relief to this stress was knowing that Victor would soon be released.

Sydney was restless. She soon left the room to go exploring. As she walked around, she unintentionally came across the door she and her mother had passed earlier. She looked at the scuff she had seen on the floor and thought for a moment. She had a flashback of her last memory of her father.

* * *

_2004_

_"__And that's how you do it, Simba." Victor said. He was rinsing the blood off his hands before carrying the carcass inside to the kitchen after teaching Sydney how to skin a boar hog._

_"When will I get my first kill, Papa?" She asked._

_"Maybe when your a little older." He answered before taking a knife and cutting the ribs individually off._

_"Papa?"_

_"Yeah?"_

_"Why did you stop killing people?"_

_Victor was silent for a moment. "Because I found something I loved more."_

_"What was that?"_

_He smiled at his youngest child. He knelt down eye level so he could look at her. "I found your mother. She was the only woman who could put up with my dumb ass." Sydney giggled at that. She always found her father's language funny. "She got me to calm down. Soon after, your sister was born. I taught her what I'm teaching you. And before I knew it, she grew up on me. When I told your mom I wanted another cub, she told me she wanted another, too. Soon, you were born."_

_Sydney thought for a moment. "So, you love Me, Betty-Jean and Mama more than killing people?"_

_Victor grinned and hugged her. "More than anything else out there." Sydney hugged her father back. Suddenly, they heard a rustling outside. Victor growled lowly as he eyed the window. Without facing her, he told Sydney, "Get your mother and sister. Tell them they need to leave now. I'll be with you all shortly."_

_Sydney knew better than to question her father. She nodded and kissed his cheek before doing what he said. Sadly, that was the last she ever saw of her father._

* * *

She just stared at the door, wondering what could possibly be on the other side.

* * *

Betty-Jean and Carter were just conversing until they heard one computer beep. "We got a hit! A 67% match." The agent at the computer said. "Wait, cross match, 79%"

"Location?" Coulson asked.

"Stuttgart, Germany, 28 Konigstrasse. He's not exactly hiding."

"Captain." Fury said. "You're up." He then turned to Carter and Betty-Jean. "Carter, you ride shotgun. Creed, pick out a dress."


	3. KNEEL!

It took hardly any time to get her to Germany. Her dress was one her mother picked out when she became an official SHIELD agent. The ceremony was beautiful. And the dress was good thing to save. It was a white corset top that had the black skirt hang from the bottom of the corset with white tiger stripes. She also wore black stilettoes. Her hair had been made into an updo that hid her ears. She was able blend in. Betty-Jean stood at the second floor looking down at everything. She felt so elegant in the crowd. It made her sick.

She stayed up on the balcony with a glass of wine. She looked the same as everyone else in the museum. She soon noticed Loki walking behind. She had to distract him so the Captain would have more time. "Silver-Tongue." She whispered.

Loki paused and turned to the woman who called him by one of his most infamous names. Her back was to him. Her posture told him that she confident and calm. She slowly turned around with a small smile on her face. The moment he saw her face, he knew who she was. "The Tigress. Still alive?"

"As much as you are." She said smoothly. She then took note of his current attire. "You certain look good in my world's clothing. You clean up good." She then saw his cane. "Your scepter, I assume?"

"As do you, my Tigress. And you assume correctly." He smirked as he took a few steps closer. She held her ground.

"If you insist on calling me anything, I hope it will be my name. I'm Creed. Betty-Jean Creed." She held her hand out for him to take, hopefully to shake it.

Loki gently grasped her hand and kissed it. He smirked when he heard her gasp. "Are you not accustomed to such flattery? One as beautiful as yourself should be used to it."

Betty-Jean blushed and looked away. "You don't know much about this world, do you?" And with that, she turn back toward the balcony. "In this world, I'm not accepted because of my gifts. Most people see them as a curse."

Loki walked up behind her and whispered in her ear, "In that aspect, we are more alike than you think." He looked down at the museum curator and smirked again. "Watch and see what power like ours can truly do. Install fear in those meant to be ruled." He then left her and walked down the stairs.

Betty-Jean felt shivers go down her spine. She cleared her objective, she distracted Loki. But she never had something like this happen to her. At first, she thought it was a spell of some sort. But anything that involved altering the mind in a nonphysical way did not effect ferals. What the Hell was happening to her.

After taking a few deep breaths, she watched as Loki whacked a security guard with his cane. He then dragged the curator and flipped him onto his back ironically on an ancient sacrificial table. After a silent moment, the god reached into his coat and pulled out a small device that hissed like a dental drill. He then pushed it against the curator's left eye. Whatever it did, it must have been painful. The man was writhing and screaming in pain. Loki just smirked as everyone screamed and ran outside. He then heard laughter coming from the second floor. Glancing up, he saw Betty-Jean giggling at the scene. Her father being who he was, she enjoyed pain and violence every once in a while.

The god just smiled up at her. She certainly was an exception to this world. He was already making plans in his mind to make her his. There had to be a way. He soon started to walk outside, all the while his outfit changed back to his green and gold armor, along with a golden-horned helmet. Once he was outside, he noticed a police car coming up. He sent a blast beam that flipped the car over. He then made a clone of himself to stop the crowd from running. "Kneel before me!" He then made two more clones to completely surround the crowd. When they didn't do what he said, "I said..." He then banged his scepter against the ground. The sound was loud enough to be heard from miles away. "KNEEL!"

While everyone obeyed the command, Betty-Jean was able to sneak out, as well. She stood a distance behind Loki. A few citizens noticed her, but she put her finger over her lips, silently tell them to be quiet. She then slipped her stilettoes off before focusing on the power-hungry god. She pulled out the clips holding her hair up and revealed her ears. She let her claws and fangs extend and her eyes change into a golden yellow. To get the god's attention, she roared, causing many people gasp. Loki turned and chuckled darkly. "The only woman on this planet that understands my cause. Such a fierce Tigress. But she can be easily tamed."

Betty-Jean smirked. "The daughter of the notorious Sabretooth? Tamed? You're obviously more delusional than I originally thought." She took a fighting stance. "C'mon, helmet-head." Loki just smirked and shook his head. He then shot a blast beam at Betty-Jean, knocking her off her feet. Once on the ground, she seemed to be knocked out. That's what she wanted it to look like, at least until she could get him when he least expected it.

Loki turned back to the people. "Is this not simpler? Is this not your natural state? It's the unspoken truth of humanity, that you crave subjugation. The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life's joy in a mad scramble for power, for identity. You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel."

After a few moments of silence, a single man stood. "Not to men like you."

Loki chuckled. "There are no men like me."

"There are always men like you." The old man countered. Betty-Jean knew he was right. She remembered Magneto. Her father tried to only make a better life for his family by helping the old bat. It was only afterwards, when he got a week-long rant from Sophia that he knew they could manage in this world just fine without domination over humans.

"Look to your elder, people." Loki pointed his scepter at the old man as it started to glow. "Let him be an example."

_"Any time now would be nice, Flag-Boy!"_ Betty-Jean thought to herself. She heard the blast, but she also heard what sounded like a ricochet. She looked up in time to see Loki get knocked off his feet the exact same way she did. It made her smirk. _"Not so great when it happens to you, huh?" _Her smile only grew when she saw Steve rise from the crowd.

"You know, the last time I was in Germany, and saw a man standing above everybody else, we ended up disagreeing." The Captain said as he walked toward Loki. One by one, people in the crowd began to stand, gaining confidence.

"The soldier." Loki sneered as he rose. "The man out of time."

"I'm not the one whose out of time." Steve countered.

Suddenly, a SHIELD air ship flew down and aimed its guns at the god. "Loki, drop the weapon and stand down."

Loki's only response was a blast beam. Steve retaliated by throwing his shield. That thing could do serious damage. Betty-Jean hoped that Carter absorbed the material that thing was made of. She'd get some serious hits in if she did. Steve was able to throw in a few punches, but Loki was able to knock him down. As the Captain tried to stand, the god put his scepter on his head. "Kneel." He grunted.

Steve pushed the scepter away. "Not today!" And he delivered a nice kick.

Up in the air ship, Natasha, Carter and another agent were trying to figure which Loki was the real thing. "The guy's all over the place." Natasha muttered.

Suddenly, another transmission was heard. "Agent Romanoff. You miss me?" 'Shoot To Thrill' started to play, making Carter smirk. Anyone with half a brain knew who that was. Ironman flew in quickly, shooting down the real Loki with one hit, and his landing was awesome. Carter smirked. "Now that's an entrance."

Tony Stark aimed a few different weapons at Loki and said only one thing. "Make your move, Reindeer Games." Loki seemed to reach for his scepter, but flinched when he saw a white tiger standing over it, surrounded by torn ribbons of what was once a nice dress. The tiger growled and stood like was about to pounce. He slowly raised his hands and made his armor and helmet disappear, leaving only his normal robes. "Good move." Tony said as he lowered his weapons.

"Mr. Stark."

"Captain. Agent Creed."

Betty-Jean nodded her head in recognition to Tony.

* * *

On the air ship, Betty-Jean had changed into a SHIELD suit behind a curtain. She then sat in font of Loki and just watched him, not breaking eye contact. Carter sat next to her and watched the two men exchange words.

"I don't like it." Steve said.

"What, Rock of Ages giving up so easily?" Tony commented.

"I don't remember it being that easy. This guy packs a wallop."

"Still, you are pretty spry for an older fellow. What's your thing? Pilates?"

"What?" Steve asked.

"It's like calisthenics." Tony explained. "You might have missed a couple of things doing time as a Capcicle." That one made Carter snort, and it didn't go unnoticed. "See? She gets it."

"Fury didn't tell me he was calling you in." Steve said.

"Yeah, there's a lot of things Fury doesn't tell you. Like how one of his part-time agents can absorb solid matter and cloak it over her skin. Right, Maxx?" Tony gestured toward Carter.

She sighed. A demonstration was needed. "May I see your shield, Captain?" Steve gently handed his weapon to the girl and watched. Carter placed her hand on the inside of the shield and closed her eyes. After a few moments, from her finger tips touching the shield, a metal coated her skin and spread onto her whole body. Even her hair was chrome. The only thing on her that wasn't coated was her clothes. Opening her eyes, she handed the shield back. She knew she needed to elaborate. "My cells can copy the chemical makeup of any solid matter I touch. Almost like a chameleon."

Suddenly, thunder started to rumble. "Where's this coming from?" Natasha asked.

Loki seemed very nervous. "Scared of a little lightning?" Carter teased.

"I'm not overly fond of what follows." He answered looking up.

"What? You suffer from astraphobia?" Betty-Jean asked. A hard thump hit them from the top. Almost like someone dropped a thousand pound led weight on the air ship. Betty-Jean looked at Loki and saw the fear written on his face. She put two and two together. "You can't be serious." She groaned.

The men put their helmets on and prepared for whatever they might see. Tony opened the hatch and a large man with long blond hair and wearing a red cape, carrying a hammer jumped onto the hatch ramp. Loki looked even more fearful. The man walked up and knocked Tony into Steve. The man, who Betty-Jean recognized as Thor, pulled Loki from his seat and dragged him over to the ramp and jumped out.

"Now there's that guy." Tony grumbled.

"Another Asgardian?" Natasha asked.

"Yep." Betty-Jean answered. "Big one, too."

"That guy's a friendly?" Steve asked.

"Doesn't matter." Tony said. "If he frees Loki or kills him, the Tesseract's lost."

"Stark, we need a plan of attack." Steve told him as Tony walked toward the opening.

"I have a plan. Attack." And with that, Tony took off toward the gods.

After a few seconds, Carter walked toward the opening. "Don't even think about it." Steve said.

"Never do." She then jumped out, still coated in vibrainium. (A/N: remember Chris Evans' line from Fantastic Four? lol)

Betty-Jean finally stood and walked toward the opening. "Okay, if you jump, you'll die." Steve said.

"I've jumped off of worse." She said as ran out.

Steve was now the only one left besides the pilots. He quickly grabbed a parachute and strapped it on. "I'd sit this one out, Cap" Natasha said.

"I don't see how I can."

"These guys come from legend. They're basically gods." She added.

"There's only one God, ma'am. And I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that." And with that, he jumped.

* * *

Carter landed and pretty much made a crater in the process. She shook her to clear her vision and tried to walk it off. As she walked, Betty-Jean landed on her, making them both fall. Both mutants groaned as they stood. Betty-Jean growled as her bones realigned and healed. The popping sound they made always creeped her out.

Both walked until they saw Thor and Loki fall and land on the edge of a cliff. Loki groaned when he landed as Thor asked, "Where is the Tesseract?"

"I missed you, too." Loki chuckled, still lying on the ground.

"Do I look to be in a gaming mood?" Thor demanded.

"He kinda looks like Kirk's dad from the new Star Trek movie." Cater whispered. "But with a sexier accent." Betty-Jean smirked at that.

"Oh, you should thank me." Loki groaned as he stood. "With the Bifrost gone, how much dark energy did the Allfather have to muster to conjure you here to your precious Earth?"

Thor dropped his hammer and growled. Stomping to his brother grasped his shoulders. "I thought you dead."

"Did you mourn?"

"We all did. Our father-"

"Your father." Loki interrupted. "He did tell you my true parentage, did he not?"

"We were raised together. We played together. We fought together. Do you remember none of that?" The thunder god questioned.

"I remember a shadow." Loki answered. "Living in the shade of your greatness. I remember you tossing me into an abyss. I, who was, and should be, king!"

"So you take the world I love as a recompense for your imagined slights? No. The earth is under my protection, Loki." Thor stated.

The Lie-Smith laughed. "And you're doing a marvelous job with that. The humans slaughter each other in droves while you idly fret. I mean to rule them, as why should I not?"

"You think yourself above them?" Thor asked in a sad tone.

"Well, yes." Loki answered as if it were that obvious.

"Then you miss the truth of ruling, brother. A throne would suit you ill."

With a growl, Loki shoved Thor away and walked around him. "I've seen world's you've never known about! I have grown, **Odinson**, in my exile. I have seen the true power of the Tesseract, and when I wield it-"

"Who showed you this power?" Thor suddenly asked. "Who controls the would-be king?"

"I am a king!" The god of mischief shouted.

"Not here!" Thor shouted back as he grabbed his brother. "You give up the Tesseract! You give up this poisonous dream!" He took a few deep breaths before saying, "You come home."

Loki suddenly grinned and said, "I do not have it." Thor scowled and summoned his hammer. "You need the Cube to bring me home. But I've sent it off, I know not where."

"You listen well, brother. I-" Suddenly, Tony tackled Thor off the cliff.

"I'm listening." Loki said expectantly.

Both women burst into laughter. Loki may have been a bad guy, but he had great timing with punch lines. The god in questioned turned to find the mutants laughing as they walked toward him. "Okay, I may not like you too much," Carter said between fits of laughter. "But that was a good one!" After taking a few deep breaths, she calmed down. "Alright, I'll be back soon." She then ran and jumped off the cliff.

"If she mad? She just jumped off a cliff." Loki asked.

"Well, I jumped out of the plane we were all on, and I'm still breathing." She smirk. She then walked over and sat at the edge of the cliff. She pat the empty space next to her. "Let's watch your brother get hurt." Loki certainly did not want to miss this.

* * *

Carter landed and stood quickly. She ran to find Tony and Thor crash to the ground. Tony stood while Thor rolled. When the god finally stood, he glared at Ironman. "Do not touch me again."

"Then don't take my stuff." Tony retorted.

"You have no idea what you're dealing with." Thor said.

"Uh..." Tony looked around. "Shakespeare in the Park? Doth Mother know you wear-eth her drapes?"

Carter couldn't stop giggling. But she had to be quiet.

"This is beyond you, metal man. Loki will face Asgardian justice."

That was when Carter couldn't stay silent. "If he gives up the Cube, he's all yours, Goldie Locks. Until then, stay outta the way."

Tony lowered his face plait as Thor turned to the new presence. "Is this Midgard's best defense? A metal man and a metal boy?"

"Uh oh." Betty-Jean whispered. She leaned in close to Loki. "While in training, some of the other agents would tease Carter by calling her a boy. They usually walked away with a few broken bones."

Carter growled. But before she did anything, Tony muttered, "Tourist." Thor threw his hammer and hit Tony in the chest, sending him back. Carter gasped. Maybe she should absorb what that thing was made of. Just as she was about to touch it, it flew back to its owner.

"What insults will you use?" Thor asked.

"You throw like a little girl!" She shouted. Thor growled as he threw the hammer again. It sent Carter back just like it did Tony. The coating of Vibrainium on her skin cracked. So she quickly touched the metal. The moment it coated her skin, she felt stronger. The hammer flew back to Thor, but not without Carter. She held onto the hammer as it flew back. Once she was close enough, she punched him across the face. He landed on his back. "By the way, I'm a woman." She then walked back toward Tony.

It wasn't necessary. Tony flew up and kicked Thor down for good measure. But that wasn't really good. He stood and raised his hammer, summoning the lightning. It struck his hammer and then was sent at Tony. Ironman staggered for a moment before sending an exceptionally powerfully blast at the thunder god. Both Loki and Betty-Jean were laughing. Carter saw that Thor was about to retaliate so she intercepted and tackled Thor. Once he was on the ground, She straddled him and kept punching him across the face.

Thor was able to throw her off of him and go after Tony. But since Tony had the suit, he was more powerful and they both went flying away. Carter stood and glared at the direction they flew off to. She turned to face Betty-Jean and yelled, "Is it because I'm a girl?!"

"Maybe he thinks your just not strong enough!" Betty-Jean yelled back.

"Seriously!?" Carter screamed to her friend before she heard them crashing into a tree, making it fall on top of her. The boys kept throwing punches while Carter tried crawling out from under the tree.

When she finally stood, she heard Steve shout, "That's enough!" He then jumped from the free that was on top of her and landed in front of all three supers. "Now, I don't know what you plan on doing here."

"I've come here to put an end to Loki's schemes." Thor stated.

"Then prove it. Put that hammer down." Steve challenged.

"Uh, yeah...no!" Carter shouted.

"She's right. Bad call. He loves his ham-" Tony was stopped when Thor hit him with his hammer and knocked him down.

With it back in his hand, Thor shouted, "You want me to put the hammer down?!" He leapt into the air and came down with intention of doing exactly what Steve said. Steve was able to raise his shield in time to block the blow. The moment the Uru metal hit Vibrainium, it sent out a shock wave that threw everyone at ground level down.

The four supers slowly stood and looked at one another. Carter panted as she let the metal from her body melt away and turn to dust. In her normal form, Thor was surprised to see she was, in fact, a woman. "Are we done here?" Steve asked.

"What more can we do the match this?" Carter asked sarcastically.

* * *

Soon, everyone was on the air ship, travelling back to the Hellicarrier. Thor stared at Carter in amazement. How does a woman coat herself in metal?" He asked.

"It's my mutation." She said casually. "Like how Betty-Jean's a feral. It's the reason this world hates us."

This confused Thor. "How can the world you grew up in hate you?"

"Your brother will give you same answer we will." Betty-Jean said. "We're different. And that scares them."

The thunder god turned back to Cater. "What Midgardian magic can change the color of your hair like so?"

She smiled. "Cheap hair dye from the dollar store. Anything else is from the thrift shop." Betty-Jean smirked as she hummed the music to "Thrift Shop". Carter then sang the chorus.

_I'm gonna pop some tags  
Only got twenty dollars in my pocket  
I, I, I'm hunting  
Looking for a come up  
This is freakin' awesome_

Both girls laughed at the inside joke as the two older men seemed confused. Tony smirked and enlightened them. "It's a girl thing."

* * *

such a long chapter! I like Macklemore, so why not. changed the words so it wouldn't freak Steve out to hear women using such language. plz review


	4. So Much Revealed

There was a lot of tension in the Hellicarrier with Loki being escorted to his cell. Surrounded by at least twelve guards, they made their way down a corridor. Along the way, they passed a room that had Bruce And Rema. Bruce was testing an ion fuser while Rema was looking up different formulas on her laptop, her image inducer still on. Both of them saw Loki. And the look he gave them was enough to make Bruce uncomfortable and make Rema hiss. Bruce stepped closer to Rema and stared at Loki, almost like he was warning him. It just made the god smirk.

* * *

Once Loki was inside his cell, Fury walked over to the control panel. "In case it's unclear, you try to escape, you so much as scratch that glass," He pressed a to open the hatch underneath the glass prison, revealing nothing but a long drop. "Thirty thousand feet straight down in a steel trap. You get how that works?" He then closed the hatch. "Ant, boot."

Loki just chuckled. "It's an impressive cage. Not built, I think, for me."

"Built for something a lot stronger than you." The director said.

"Oh, I've heard." Loki said as he looked at a security camera. Everyone in the control room watched from the monitors. "A mindless beast. Makes play he's still a man. How desperate are you that you call on such lost creatures to defend you?"

"How desperate am I?" Fury asked. "You threaten my world with war. You steal a force you can't hope to control. You talk about peace, and you kill because it's fun. You have made me very desperate. And you might not be glad you did."

Loki smirked. "Apparently, I'm not the only one on this vessel that finds playing with the line between life and death of others entertaining. Such a beautiful creature. A Tigress unfortunately raised by sheep. She holds back true power simply because it was what she was taught. She hides in fear of being discovered by those who deem her a monster when she could very well enslave them. The corrupted mind of what can only be described as a goddess. She is leashed like a dog, and you hold the reigns. You say that _I'm_ cruel, yet look at what you've done. But I honestly cannot fault you for feeling this way. Anger, frustration, hate. It burns you to have come so close. To have the Tesseract, to have power, unlimited power. And for what? A warm light for all mankind to share. And then to remind what real power is."

"Well, let me know if 'real power' wants a magazine or something." Fury stated as he walked away.

* * *

"He really grows on you, doesn't he?" Bruce said.

"Loki's gonna drag this out." Steve stated. "So, Thor, what's his play?"

"He has an army call the Chitauri." He answered. "They're not of Asgard nor any world known. He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the Earth, in return, I suspect, for the Tesseract."

"And army...from outer space?" Steve asked.

"Hey." Carter said. "You live in a world where three different girls can either coat their skin with solid matter, turn into a white tiger, or even have green scaly skin. Anything's possible."

"So, he's building another portal." Bruce stated. "That's what he needs Erik Selvig for."

"Selvig?" Thor asked.

"He's an astrophysicist." Rema said.

"He's a friend." The thunder god stated.

"Loki has him under some kind of spell, along with one of ours." Natasha added.

"I wanna know why Loki let us take him. He's not leading an army from here." The Captain said.

"I don't think we should be focusing on Loki." Bruce interjected. "That guy's brain is a bag full of cats. You could smell crazy on him."

"Have care how you speak." Thor interrupted. "Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Asgard. And he is my brother."

"He killed eighty people in two days." Betty-Jean challenged.

"He's adopted." Thor tried.

"I think it's about the mechanics. Iridium...what do they need the iridium for?" Bruce asked.

"It's a stabilizing agent." Tony interrupted as he walked in with Coulson. He then turned to the agent. "I'm just saying, pick a weekend. I'll fly you to Portland. Keep love alive." With that, he went back to everyone else. "It means the portal won't collapse on itself like it did at SHIELD." He then walked by Thor. "No hard feelings, Point Break. You've got a mean swing. Also, it means the portal can open as wide and stay open as long, as Loki wants." Tony then stood at the control panel and looked at the crew. "Raise the mizzenmast. Jib the topsails." The agents just stared at Tony like he was crazy. "That man is playing Galaga." He pointed to a specific agent. "Thought we wouldn't notice, but we did." Tony then briefly covered his left eye and looked at the screens. "How does Fury even see these?"

"He turns." Maria answered.

"Sounds exhausting." The billionaire groaned. "The rest of the raw material, Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily. The only major component he still needs is a power source of high-energy density. Something to kick-start the Cube."

"When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?" Maria asked.

"Last night. The packet, Selvig's notes, the extraction theory papers. Am I the only one who did the reading?"

"Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?" Steve asked.

"He'd have to heat the Cube to a hundred and twenty million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier." Bruce stated.

"Unless Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect." Tony added.

"Well," Rema interjected. "If he could do that, he could achieve heavy ion fusion at any reactor on the planet."

"Finally, people who speak English." Stark said as he walked toward the two scientist.

"Is that what just happened?" Steve asked.

"It's good to meet you, Dr. Banner." Tony said as he shook his hands. "Your work on antielectron collisions is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage-monster."

"Thanks" Bruce said uncomfortably.

Tony then turned to Rema. "And Miss Maddison. I have to say that your formula for the temporary cure for physical mutations is unmatched by any others. And I love how you can look like a gargoyle." Rema just looked away and coughed uncomfortably.

"Dr. Banner and Miss Maddison are only here to track the Cube. I was hoping you might join them." Fury said.

"I'd start with that stick of his." Steve interjected. "It may be magical, but it works an awful lot like a HYDRA weapon."

"I don't know about that, but it is powered by the Cube. And I would like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys." Fury said.

Thor was confused. "Monkeys? I do not understand."

"I do." Steve pointed. He was happy that someone was more confused about this than him, but suddenly embarrassed by his outburst. "I understood that reference."

"Shall we play, Doctor? Miss Maddison?" Tony and the two other scientist then headed to the lab.

* * *

Bruce was canning the scepter. "The gamma readings are definitely consistent with Selvig's reports of the Tesseract."

"But it's gonna take weeks to process." Rema was typing on one of the monitors next to Bruce. She had finally decided to turn off her image inducer, considering that it was only herself, Bruce and Tony.

"If we bypass their mainframe and direct route to the Homer cluster, we can clock this at around six hundred teraflops." Tony said as he typed on his own monitor.

"And all I packed was a toothbrush." Bruce chuckled.

"Nothin' but the clothes on my back." Rema giggled.

Tony smiled as he walked toward them. You know, you two should come by Stark Tower sometime. Top ten floors, all R&D. You'd love it. It's Candy Land."

"Thanks, but the last time I was in New York, I kind of broke Harlem."

"What about you, Rema?" Tony asked.

"If you haven't noticed, me and crowded places don't exactly mix. Too much stress causes me to breathe fire." She answered as she wrote formulas in a notebook.

"Well, I promise a stress-free environment." The billionaire said. "No tension. No surprises." He then shocked Bruce's side with a small prod.

"OW!"

"Hey!" Steve called from the hallway.

"Nothing?"

"Are you nuts?" The Captain asked.

"Jury's out." Was Tony's answer. "You really have got a lid on it, haven't you? What's your secret? Mellow jazz, bongo drums, huge bag of weed?"

"Is everything a joke to you?"

"Funny things are."

"Threatening the safety of everyone on this ship isn't funny." Steve stated. "No offence, Doc."

"It's all right, I wouldn't have come aboard if I couldn't handle pointy things." Bruce said.

That was when Steve finally noticed Rema. Her appearance, for some reason, reminded him of Red Skull. He tensed when she saw him looking at her. "Please, don't stare." She whispered. Steve respected her wishes.

"You're tip-toeing, big man. You need to strut." Tony said.

"And you need to focus on the problem, Mr. Stark." Steve was not happy to work with this guy.

"You think I'm not?" Tony asked. "Why did Fury call us in? Why now? Why not before? What isn't he telling us? I can't do the equation unless I have all the variables."

"You think Fury's hiding something?" Steve asked.

"He's a spy. Captain, he's 'the' spy. His secrets have secrets. It's bugging them, too. Isn't it?"

Bruce and Rema both stammered their answers until they heard Steve. "Doctor? Miss Maddison?"

Bruce sighed. "'A warm light for all mankind.' Loki's jab at Fury about the Cube."

"I heard it."

"Well, I think that was meant for you." Bruce pointed at Steve.

"He's right." Rema added. "Even if Clint didn't tell Loki about the tower, it was still all over the news."

"Stark Tower?" Steve asked. "That big, ugly...building in New York?"

"It's powered by an arc reactor, a self-sustaining energy source." Bruce concluded.

Rema chuckled. "That building will run itself for, what, a year?"

"It's just a prototype." Tony confirmed. "I'm kind of the only name in clean energy right now. That's what their getting at."

"So, why did SHIELD bring him in on the Tesseract project? What are they doing in the energy business in the first place?" Bruce asked.

"You should probably look into that when your decryption program finishes breaking into all of SHIELD's secure files, Tony." Rema smirk. Tony gave a confused look that she only laughed at. "What? You didn't think I'd notice that little device you attached to the computer in the control room?"

Steve was shocked. "I'm sorry, did you just say-"

"She's right. JARVIS has been running it since I hit the bridge. In a few hours, I'll know every dirty secret SHIELD has ever tried to hide." Tony explained. He then held out a bag. "Blueberry?"

"Yet you're confused about why they didn't want you around." The Captain stated.

"An intelligence organization that fears intelligence? Historically, not awesome."

"I think Loki's trying to wind us up. This is a man who means to start a war and if we don't stay focused, he'll succeed." Steve was very serious. "We have orders. We should follow them."

"Following's not really my style." Tony stated.

"And you're all about style, aren't you?"

That one struck Tony. He had to one-up the Captain. "Of all the people in this room, which one is, A, wearing a spangly outfit, and, B, not of use?"

"Steve," Bruce quipped. "Tell me none of this smells a little funky to you."

After glaring at Tony, Steve muttered, "Just find the Cube." He then walked out.

Rema looked at the doorway before putting her note book down. "I'll go with him. No telling what he'll do." She then turned her image inducer on and walked after Steve.

"Hey, ice cube." Rema called out. Steve stopped and turned to find the mutant catching up to him. "You wanna talk to someone?"

He was silent for a few moments before saying, "What's his problem? He acts like he's better than everyone else."

"Well, you knew his father, right?" When Steve nodded, she continued. "Howard wasn't very close to him, so he had to learn how look out for himself. All Howard seemed to care about was his legacy. But he admitted that he was proud of Tony in a recording that revealed a new element. The same element that keeps his arc reactor going. So, imagine how he felt when he suddenly inherited an entire industry."

It took him a moment to register it all. "Big shoes to fill." He then asked, "How are you not...erm..."

"Looking like a mutant?" She asked. Steve sheepishly nodded. Rema smiled and pointed at her necklace. "This thing helps me be invisible in this ship. I can blend in that way." They continued down the hallway as she continued. "I was the one who designed it. Howard built it. And I've owned it until I left SHIELD. Where I went, I'd be a freak if I wore it." They continued talking as they walked. And soon, Steve found out she wasn't so different after all.

* * *

"As soon as Loki took the doctor, we moved Jane Foster. They've got an excellent observatory in Tromsø. She was asked to consult there very suddenly yesterday. Handsome fee, private plane, very remote. She'll be safe." Coulson explained to Thor.

"Thank you." He said.

From the railing above them, Carter sighed. "Pretty lady." Both men turned to her. "She your girlfriend?"

"I do not understand." The god said.

After thinking for a few moments, Carter rephrased her question. "Are you courting her?"

Thor was thoughtful before answering. "I do love her." Carter's heart dropped. "But I am not _in love _with her." She then smiled a little bit. Thor turned back to Coulson. "It's no accident, Loki taking Erik Selvig. I dread what he plans for him once he's done. Erik is a good man."

"He talks about you a lot." Coulson stated. "You changed his life. You changed everything around here."

"They were better as they were." Thor said. "We pretend on Asgard that we're more advanced, but we come here, battling like bilge snipe."

"Like what?" The agent asked.

"Huh?" Carter asked.

"Bilge snipe. You know, huge, scaly, big antlers." Thor held his hands above his head to mimic antlers. It just made Carter laugh. "You don't have those?"

"I don't think so." Was Coulson's answer.

Thor turned to Carter to hear her answer. "Not that I've seen."

"Well, they are repulsive. And they trample everything in their path." The god then walked over to a huge window and looked outside. "When I first came to Earth, Loki's rage followed me here, and your people paid the price. And now, again. In my youth, I courted war."

"War hasn't started yet." Fury interjected. "You think you could make Loki tell us where the Tesseract is?"

"I do not know. Loki's mind is far afield. It's not just power he craves, it's vengeance, upon me. There's no pain would prise his need from me." Thor said sadly. Carter felt a little sorry for him.

"A lot of guys think that until the pain starts." The director countered.

"What are you asking me to do?"

"I'm asking, what are you prepared to do?"

"Loki is a prisoner." Thor spat.

"Then why do I feel like he's the only person on this boat that wants to be here?" Fury countered.

* * *

About fifteen minutes after Natasha got answers from Loki, he paced in in his cell. He soon stopped and smirked. "You're the second person on this vessel that has successfully snuck up on me." He turned around and saw Betty-Jean standing at the door with a small smile. "Why now? After Agent Romanoff got the answers you all wanted, why do you come to me now?"

"Maybe because, for some reason I can't comprehend, I like you." She simply answered. "But, what I don't get is that for a guy so bent on taking over this world, you certainly don't know much about it."

"What is there to know?" Loki asked as he stepped closer to her.

She smirked. "This world has three races of life. Humans. Animals. And then there's my kind."

"Your kind?"

"You haven't figured it out yet? How I have the same abilities as a tiger? How Carter can make her skin turn into solid metal?" She asked.

"I would assume you are like the other lost creatures on this ship." Loki answered smoothly.

"Wrong. We're mutants. Homo Superior. Children of the Atom. We are the next step in evolution. Trust few. Fear the rest. And my father is one you should fear, considering he's nearly two hundred years old and was a mercenary."

The god grinned. "And you rely on your father?"

"He's been locked up for eight, going on nine, years. We've managed fine without him. But what I wanna know has nothing to do with my father. It's all about you." Betty-Jean said seriously. "I wanna know what you've done to me."

Loki just gave a look of innocence. "I know not what you mean."

"Why am I so fascinated by you? Why do I like you? What did you do to make me care?"

He shrugged. "I've done nothing. From our first encounter, I remember you are immune to the power of my scepter. So what could I have possibly done?"

Betty-Jean sighed. "I'm sorry I scratched you, by the way." She then looked him in the eye and walked closer until she was inches from the glass. "What about me?"

"I don't understand."

"Do you like me? From our first encounter, I remember you saying I was beautiful and powerful. Because of my mutation, I' seen as a monster."

"Not in my eyes." Loki interjected. He then cloned himself and sent his clone through the glass to stand next to her. "In my eyes, you are a goddess." Betty-Jean's back was against the glass as the clone was only inches away from touching her. "I see a woman worth more than she is given." He lifted his left hand to touch her cheek. But he was frustrated when his hand phased through her.

"Then what do you plan to do to me." She asked.

Loki's smile sent shivers down her spine. "I will be the first man to kiss you. To bed you. Whether you come willingly or not. You will be mine and mine alone. Do you understand?" His voice made her want grab him and have her way with him.

"And if I am willing?"

"Then you will be more than a lover. You'll be my wife and queen. As you should be." The clone then disappeared. Betty-Jean quickly turned to see Loki's forehead pressed against the glass. "You will be my everything in the purest form. No matter the outcome, you and I are destined to be." Betty-Jean stared at him in wonder. She then did something she only ever did when she was happy. Something she had not done in nearly fifty years. She purred.

* * *

Sydney still stood in front of the door and stared at it. She wondered what was behind it and why it smelled like her father. It was really strong at the crack where it would open. She pressed her head against the crack and sniffed.

* * *

Victor was chained to a wall. His breath was steady, as it had always been since the day he was brought in. He knew that if he didn't cause trouble, he would be released sooner. Anything to get home to his family.

He suddenly smelled something that caught his attention. Lifting his head, he took a few more deep sniffs before whispering, "Sydney?"

* * *

She lifted her head. She could have sworn she heard someone say her name. "Hello?"

* * *

_"Hello?"_ That voice. "Sydney?" He said a little louder.

* * *

This time, she heard it through the crack. She pressed her ear next to it and asked, "Who's there?"

* * *

Victor could only sob in happiness as he answered, "Papa!"

"Papa?" She cried. "Are you in there?"

"Yeah, baby. I am." After a few moments, he said, "Baby, I need you to do something for me. You see that blue square next to the door?"

"Yeah."

"Do you see the numbers on it?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. Press the numbers I tell you to press. Do you understand?" Victor had memorized the combination when he heard some newer agents muttering it out loud as they typed it.

"Yes, sir."

"Press five, seven, six, one, three and four." She did as she was told and the chains automatically unlocked. Victor quickly stood and went to the door. "Okay, Baby. The next numbers are zero, two, six, five three, nine and eight."

She did it again and she heard the door unlock. Stepping away, she waited for the door to open. After a few moments, it slowly opened, revealing Victor Creed. "Papa!" Sydney ran and jumped into her father's arms.

Victor wrapped his arms around his daughter and sobbed. He was brought to his knees by his emotions and wouldn't dare let go of his child. "Sydney." He cried. Loosening his grip, he let his daughter stand in front of him. "Are you here alone?"

"No. Mama and Betty-Jean are here, too." She answered with a smile. She was so happy to see her father. "I missed you, Papa."

Victor picked up his child and placed her on his shoulders. "I missed you, too, Baby. Now let's go find Mama and Betty-Jean."


	5. The Calm Before The Storm

Steve and Rema walked to the cargo bay. Once they found the crates that were labeled "Phase 2". that was when they realized that this was what they needed to find. When Steve opened the crate, they found what they never wanted to find.

* * *

Thor and Carter were in the cafeteria. Carter was eating a plate of waffles while Thor was surrounded by nearly a dozen empty plates and working on another. "I honestly don't know where you're putting all that." She chuckled as she passed him a frappuccino.

He took a sip through the straw and his eyes widened. "This drink, I like it! It's like coffee, but frozen."

"I know, right? Good things in this agency are limited, but you gotta savor 'em when you get them." She then pulled her phone. "This is so going on Twitter. Smile." Thor did as he was told and smiled before the picture was taken. This was almost exactly how his first meal on Midgard went, only it was Darcy that told him to smile instead of Carter. "So, where did you say you came from?"

"Asgard. Ruled by Odin the Allfather." He answered after swallowing what was in his mouth. "I wish to know why this world hates you."

Carter gave a sad smile. "In this world, we mutants are despised. There's only a handful that humans trust. One I knew very well. A telepath named Charles Xavier. He ran a secretive school for mutants. That's actually where SHIELD found me. They wanted a volunteer for a project, in exchange for protecting the school. I just wanted to leave after Professor Xavier died. It felt so empty there without him."

Thor thought for a moment. "What other powers of sorts do mutants have?"

"Well, one who I'm close friends with is Kitty. She can run through walls. Bobby can control ice. One of my teachers is called Storm because she can control the weather. Pyro manipulates fire. One girl, Mystique, she shape-shifts into different people. Then there's Betty-Jean's uncle, Logan. He calls himself the Wolverine."

The Asgardian was thoughtful for a moment before saying, "Your race is merely evolving into what we are."

"Huh?"

"You're finding your powers. These 'mutants', as you call them, are just Asgardians that have evolved from humans. Like myself, I can summon lightning, but mostly, I am known for thunder." He smirked.

Carter rolled her eyes. "Don't get so full of yourself. I can absorb solid matter and coat it over my skin. I've used concrete, iron, solid steel, even the Captain's shield when we first met. But I can honestly say that your hammer is unlike anything I've ever touched. Just the metal alone is unbelievable."

"It was forged by the dwarf brothers Sindri and Brokkr."

"I think I remember learning something about it in college. I think the books said, 'Then he gave the hammer to Thor, and said that Thor might smite as hard as he desired, whatsoever might be before him, and the hammer would not fail; and if he threw it at anything, it would never miss, and never fly so far as not to return to his hand; and if be desired, he might keep it in his sark, it was so small; but indeed it was a flaw in the hammer that the fore-haft was somewhat short.' But it also said that you had iron gloves you needed to wear when holding the hammer. I didn't see any gloves."

"That is because I don't use them. That is actually a myth we started to make people believe I could not lift Mjolnir without them. Giving my enemies something to distract from stealing my hammer." He then lifted Mjolnir onto the table and showed her a small inscription on the side. "Here, it reads, 'Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor', a blessing from my father. I have seen you covered in the hammer's metal. Maybe you are worthy to hold it."

Suddenly, Natasha jogged in. "We need to get to the lab. Now."

* * *

Sophia walked into the lab where she found Tony and Bruce. "Excuse me, gentlemen?" They both turned to her.

"Can we help you?" Bruce asked.

"I really hope so. I was wondering if any of you had seen my daughters. Betty-Jean and Sydney." She asked.

This took Tony by surprise. "Wait. Betty-Jean's your daughter?" She nodded. "But...you look as though you could be her sister."

Sophia smiled. "I appreciate the flattery, but I am her mother."

"I don't mean to be rude," Bruce stated. "But how old are you, ma'am?"

"I am nearly one hundred and sixty." She answered. When she saw the confusion on their faces she decided to clarify. "It's part of my mutation." She lifted her hands and extended her claws. She smiled at their reactions. Bruce seemed fascinated where as Tony jumped. "I'm Sophia, by the way."

That was the moment Fury stepped in. "What are you doing, Mr. Stark?"

"Stark? As in Tony?" Sophia asked with a small grin.

"Yes, that is me." Tony answered with a smile before turning to the director. "And, uh, I was kinda wondering the same thing about you."

"You're supposed to be locating the Tesseract."

"We are." Bruce answered. "The model's locked and we're sweeping for the signature now. When we get a hit, we'll have the location within a half mile."

"Yeah." Tony added. "Then you get your Cube back. No muss, no fuss."

Suddenly, Sophia smelled something in the air. Something she had not smelled in years. Turning to the doorway, she heard the loud foot steps. Within seconds, she saw him with Sydney riding on his shoulders. "Victor?" She whispered in disbelief. Fury was frozen. He didn't dare move.

"Hi, Mama!" Sydney cried with a grin "Look who I found."

"Victor!" Sophia ran up and wrapped her arms around her husband. Victor was careful to put his daughter on the floor so he could embrace his wife with the same, if not even more, compassion.

Sydney saw Tony and Bruce and decided to introduce herself. "Hi, I'm Sydney." Both men waved awkwardly at the little girl.

Victor suddenly locked eyes with Fury and growled. Letting Sophia go, he face his warden with hate. "You told me when you moved me on this God damn ship that my family would not be involved with this. I suddenly find out that both of my daughters and my wife are here with God knows what else. I'm about to claw out your other eye, Fury!"

This infuriated Sophia. "You told me that he was locked up in the agency on the ground! You hold my husband prisoner here?!"

Sydney suddenly became very uncomfortable. She always became scared when her parents were yelling. It didn't matter who they yelled at, they were always scary. She slowly and quietly walked out of the room and went to find her sister.

* * *

Betty-Jean and Loki sat across from each other with their legs crisscrossed. She almost laughed, feeling like she was in a hippy circle. But she just smiled as she placed her hand flat against the glass wall between them. Loki mirrored her action. "So, if you're adopted by Odin, then what are you? I don't mean to be rude, I'm just curious."

Loki gave a small smile. "There is a realm called Jotunheim. There, is all that remains of the frost-giants. I am the son of their former king. The same king I killed."

"You killed your own father?"

"I wanted to mean something to Odin. Apparently, that wasn't something he wanted." He noticed the pained look in her eyes. "Does this displease you?"

"In a way. I can understand having a brother like Thor can make you feel less than admirable. But killing people doesn't make you a better person to others. It's what you do for them, not for yourself." She then went back to smiling. "But I'll let you in on something. I like Thor, but I like you more."

Loki smirked. "I knew I had that effect on you." Both laughed before they heard light foot steps running toward them. From the smell, Betty-Jean knew it was her sister. When she appeared at the entrance, she quickly ran and sat next to her sister.

"Mom yelling again?" The older sister asked.

Sydney nodded. "Papa, too."

Betty-Jean's eyes widened. "Papa's here?" Without hearing the younger sister's answer, she ran out.

Sydney turned to Loki and smiled. "Hi, I'm Sydney."

Loki admired the child's innocence. "My name is Loki." She giggled. "What is so amusing?"

"You have a funny name." She said between giggles. When she calmed down, she kept her smile. "So, you're the reason she's smiling."

"Who?"

"Betty-Jean. She doesn't smile like that anymore. Not around me and Mama, anyways." She then sighed.

Loki knew instantly that the child was getting bored. "Watch this." He whispered. She did as she was told. Loki then made a green butterfly appear in front of her. It landed on her nose, making her giggle. Soon, the butterfly dispersed, making sparkly green dust fall on her cheeks.

Sydney clapped her hands. "More!" She cheered. Loki liked this child.

* * *

Victor and Sophia were still glaring at Fury. Tony smirked at Bruce. "I love family drama." His computer then beeped. On the screen read "Phase 2". "What is Phase 2?"

A loud thud interrupted the tension. Everyone stared at the weapon Steve and Rema brought back. "Phase 2 is SHIELD uses the Cube to make weapons." Rema hissed. In a moment of spite, she turned her inducer off, revealing her true, scaly self.

"Sorry. Computer was moving a little for me." Steve stated.

"Rogers, we gathered everything related to the Tesseract. This does not mean we're making-"

"I'm sorry, Nick." Tony interrupted as he turned his screen around to reveal a blue print of the weapon Steve dropped on the table. "What were you lying?"

"You brought my family on this ship with weapons like that?" Victor seethed.

"I was wrong, Director. The world hasn't changed a bit." Steve remarked.

At this time, Natasha, Carter, Thor and Betty-Jean entered the room. Betty-Jean ran up and hugged her father, who returned the embrace whole-heartedly. "Papa." She whispered with tears in her eyes. When she let go, she watched the scene unfold before her.

"Did you know about this?" Bruce asked Natasha.

"You wanna think about removing yourself from this environment, Doctor?" She countered.

He chuckled darkly. "I was in Calcutta. I was pretty well removed."

"Loki's manipulating you."

"And you've been doing what, exactly?" Rema asked as she stepped closer. "Ever since we all got on this ship, nothing is ever calm, only chaotic."

"He didn't come here because I bat my eyelashes at him."

"Yes, and I'm not leaving because you suddenly get a little twitchy. I'd like to know why SHIELD is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction." Bruce stated.

"Because of him." Fury answered as he pointed to Thor.

"Me?" Thor asked.

"Him?" Carter added. "What the Hell did he do?"

"Last year, Earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge match that leveled a small town in New Mexico." Fury explained.

"That was you?" Carter asked Thor. He merely shrugged.

"We learned that not only are we not alone but we are hopelessly, hilariously, outgunned."

"Oh, and the fact that mutants are on this planet mean nothing?" Betty-Jean asked. "What ever else is out there is no match for us."

"You face a machine called 'The Destroyer' and repeat that statement, Creed." Fury said.

"My people want nothing but peace with your planet." Thor stated.

"But you're not the only people out there, are you?" Fury countered. "And you're not the only threat. The world's filling up with people who can't be matched, that can't be controlled."

"Like you try to control mutants?" Rema asked. "Like you tried to control me?" There was an eerie silence after that. "Yeah, I remember when I was child. All you tried to do to get me to stop crying, all because I would breathe fire. I remember the extinguishers above my bed. I also remember waking up several times wearing a diving mask and in a tank of water."

"That was above me, Maddison, and you know that." Fury countered.

"Oh, yeah? Then why didn't you stop them? I still have nightmares of being submerged." Tears started to fall from her eyes. "Loki didn't come here out of convenience."

"She's right." Thor agreed. "Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and his allies. It is a signal to all the realms that the Earth is ready for a higher form of war."

"A higher form?" Steve questioned.

"You forced our hand." Fury said. "We had to come up with something."

"A nuclear deterrent." Tony interrupted. "Because that always calms everything right down."

"Isn't that how you made your fortune, Stark?" Victor retorted.

Steve stepped in. "I'm sure if he still made weapons, Stark would be neck-deep-"

"Hold on." He interrupted again. "How is this about me?"

"I'm sorry. Isn't everything?" The Captain retorted.

"I thought humans were more evolved than this." Thor interjected.

"Excuse me, did we come to your planet and blow stuff up?" Fury said.

A whole argument broke out between everyone. Even the mutants.

* * *

Sydney was smiling at every trick Loki did. She was very happy. But she also remembered that Loki did something bad to end up in the cage he was in. That sweet little spark in her eyes seemed to disappear, and Loki noticed. "What has upset you?"

"Are you gonna hurt me?"

That caught the god by surprise. But he could understand why she asked the question. "I never would bring harm to an innocent child." He said. He then sensed his getaway was just outside the air ship. Despite everything that had happened to him today, Sydney had been one of those few people who appreciated his talents. Turning to her, he said, "Go and find your sister. Stay with your family. And don't try anything dangerous." Sydney nodded and was quick to run and find her sister.

* * *

"You speak of control, yet you court chaos." Thor stated.

"That's his M.O., isn't it?" Bruce asked. "I mean, what are we, a team? No, we're a chemical mixture that makes chaos. We're a time bomb."

"You need to step away." Fury said.

Rema stepped up. "Why? Because you believe that Loki really wants to bring out the Hulk? This is the God of Mischief and Lies. He lies, cheats and steals to get what he wants. He's just trying to get us twisted into a knot."

"Why shouldn't the guy let off a little steam?" Tony asked.

"You know damn well why! Back off!" Steve exclaimed.

"I'm starting to want you to make me." Tony retorted. By this time, Sydney snuck into the room and hid behind Betty-Jean.

"Yeah." Steve grumbled. "Big man in a suit of armor. Take that off, what are you?"

"Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist."

Steve glared. "I know guys with none of that worth ten of you. I've seen the footage. The only thing you really fight for is yourself. You're not the guy to make the sacrifice play, to lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you."

"I think I would just cut the wire." Tony remarked.

"Always a way out." Steve sneered. "You may not be a threat but you better stop pretending to be a hero."

"A hero? Like you? You're a laboratory experiment, Rogers. Everything special about you came out of a bottle."

"Put on the suit, let's go a few rounds." Steve challenged.

Thor then chuckled humorlessly. "You people are so petty and tiny."

"Repeat that one, Romeo. I dare you." Victor growled lowly.

"Yeah, this is a team." Bruce stated.

"Agent Romanoff, would you please escort Dr. Banner back to his-"

"Where? You rented my room."

Fury sighed. "The cell was just in case-"

"In case you needed to kill me." Bruce interrupted. "But you can't. I know, I tried."

There was an eerie silence. "Bruce." Rema whispered.

"I got low. I didn't see an end. So, I put a bullet in my mouth, and the other guy spit it out. So, I moved on. I focused on helping other people. I was good. Until you dragged me back into this freak show and put everyone at risk."

"Freak show?" Rema questioned. "You have no idea what it's really like, do you? The only place I could hide was in a freak show. I was in a cage I could easily open. But in order to make a living, I left it locked. I let people stare at me and throw rocks. I remember those mutant haters who tried to kill us all, just because we were trying to live. You think hiding the Hulk is painful? You can easily blend in with people, Bruce. Try holding back your anger and hate while isolating yourself completely from people. I was found by people who understood my pain. So I joined them. But despite being around other like me, I was miserable. You try living with a mutation that you can't hide. It wasn't bad enough that I can breathe fire. No. I had to look like a dragon-human hybrid. Don't you dare compare this to a freak show." Rema seethed her rant.

Bruce looked from an emotional Rema to a stern-faced Natasha. "You want to know my secret, Agent Romanoff? You wanna know how I stay calm?"

Everyone suddenly tensed. "Dr. Banner," Steve said. "Put down the scepter."

Bruce looked down and noticed the scepter was in his hand. How did he not notice it? Why did he even pick it up? And how did he not know he was holding it? The computer suddenly beeped, getting everyone's attention. Bruce put the scepter on the table and stomped to the computer. "Sorry, kids, you don't get to see my party trick after all."

Betty-Jean could hear something outside the ship. Running out of the lab and to the closest window. She was nervous as to what she'd find. And when she saw another air ship, she felt even worse. Using her strong vision, she saw someone in the hanger of the ship who she knew was not there to help them. "Clint." She whispered.


	6. Battle for the Carrier

*KABOOM*

An explosion rattled the whole Hellicarrier. The engine was destroyed and Natasha, Rema and Bruce were sent through a window. Thor covered Carter with his body to protect her. Victor grabbed Sophia and Sydney and shielded them from the explosion. Fury, Steve and Tony were sent flying backwards. "Put on the suit." Steve groaned.

"Yeah." Tony agreed.

"Go with them, Victor." Sophia growled.

"No, I just got you back. I'm not leaving yo-"

Sophia smashed her lips against his to silence him. Pulling away, she said, "You stay here, there won't be an us in the end." He couldn't argue with that logic. Standing, he jogged out to join the two others.

"Hill!" Fury exclaimed through his com-link.

She responded instantly. "External detonation. Number three engine is down. Can they get a running?" She asked one of the agents.

"Turbine looks mostly intact. But it's impossible to get out there to make repairs while we're in the air."

"If we lose one more engine, we won't be. Somebody's gotta get outside and patch that engine."

"Stark, you got that?" Fury asked.

"I'm on it."

Coulson, initiate defensive lockdown in the detention section then get to the armory. Romanoff?" The director asked.

* * *

Natasha's left leg was caught under a pipe that broke during the explosion. She was stuck. "We're okay." She groaned her response.

Rema was sitting up with her hands covering he ears. She was groaning and whimpering. Bruce was groaning as he tried to sit up. But his groaned were more strained that anyone else's.

"We're okay, right?"

* * *

Steve and Tony were running to the engine, followed closely by Victor.

* * *

Natasha was still trying to pull her leg from under the pipe. But she stopped when she heard Rema growling. Hearing the sick popping of bones made her notice Rema's wings open and see spikes growing along her spine. Her nails were growing into claws and her groans were become inhuman growls. Turning to the agent, She hissed, revealing her viper-like fangs. Her pupils in her eyes even changed to vertical slits. But the moment she saw it was Natasha, Rema calmed down enough to notice the pipe on her leg. She crawled over and tried to push the pipe off.

"Doctor? Bruce?" Natasha tried. Bruce was nearly growling as his breaths were heaved. "You gotta fight it. This is just what Loki wants. We're gonna be okay. Listen tom me." Two engineers ran over to help, but the moment Rema turned to them, she hissed and they ran. "You're gonna be okay. All right? I swear on my life, I will get you out of this."

"YOUR LIFE?!" Bruce growled as he turned to face the agent. Both women noticed his skin had started to turn green. He then reared his head back and growled as his clothes started to rip from his body, the whole time, he turned even more green. As Rema kept pushing harder to get the pipe off Natasha's leg, Bruce rolled away and his body grew bigger and bigger. He glanced at both of them with a pained look in his eyes. They could both see how much he didn't want to hurt them. But he roared as his body contorted. He stood and staggered away while Rema was finally able to push the pipe off of Natasha's leg. They both stood and watched as what was once Bruce Banner, now the Hulk, turned and roared at them.

* * *

Loki looked up the moment he heard the roar. _"Things are going according to plan." _He thought with a tight grin.

* * *

"RUN!" Rema roared. Natasha did as she was told and ran while the mutant stood her ground. She roared back with a the intention of protecting Natasha. Hulk tried to roar in her face, but she roared right back. She slashed at him, just barely missing, and in the opposite direction as the agent, trying to distract the big lug. And it was working.

* * *

Steve and Victor were able to get to the engine. There, they waited till they heard Tony's Ironman suit. What ever was going between Steve and Tony was lost by Victor. All he knew was that Steve had to check a control panel. Things like that weren't his strong point. He decided to stay where he was. "Go! I'll cover ya!" He yelled. Steve nodded and jumped over a gap to the control panel.

* * *

Rema was silently walking around a corner, trying to find the Hulk. She lost him and was now trying to find him. "How do you lose two tons of green muscle?" She asked herself. The floor a few yards from her was groaning from a heavy weight on top of it. She knew he was close. Turning around, she gasped when she found herself staring at the Hulk. She expected him to roar and hit her. But he just stood there, panting and watching her. Hulk took a few steps forward and waited for her to scream. But she didn't. "Bruce?" She whispered. He didn't make any sign of recognition. "Hulk?" She tried. He tilted his head slightly.

Suddenly, Thor tackled him through a wall. Oh, that was so not good.

* * *

Victor was still waiting for the excitement to start. But he caught the scent of other men coming up on Steve. Taking a running start, he leapt onto the ledge that Steve was on.

* * *

Sophia and Sydney were running to find a place to hide. But as they ran through the corridor, men who were not part of SHIELD were running toward them. "Get down!" She yelled at her daughter. Sydney ducked behind a corner and Sophia went crazy. Her fangs and claws extended and she went on the attack. One man shot her, but she felt nothing and slashed his throat. Another tried to cut her with a knife and she used her claws to grab his spine, killing him instantly. One managed to slip past her, but Sydney grabbed his leg with her claws and sank her teeth in his calf. She wasn't letting anyone get past her mother.

* * *

Betty-Jean was in the control room. She was trying to figure out where Clint was. But since the computers were all down, then she was just as lost as the other agents. She heard something skid across the floor. Turning, she found out what it was. "GRENADE!" She screamed. The grenade detonated, sending people flying back. Enemies of SHIELD were rushing from the corridor, loud roars were followed. "Looks like Mama's having fun." Betty-Jean muttered.

* * *

Carter was trying to find out where Thor ran. She knew he said something about Bruce, but didn't really catch all of it. She just figured she would follow the sounds the Hulk was making. It wasn't long before she found the Hulk tossing Thor around like a ragdoll. She was soon met up with an exhausted Rema. "We gotta do something." Carter stated.

Rema pointed out the window at a fighter jet. "I think someone's already ahead of us." Carter crouched and touched the concrete floor, absorbing it over her skin. Rema crouched as well, knowing that it was best to get out of the way. Thor was tossed next to them, panting like crazy. "Are you okay?" The reptilian asked.

"Fine. I-I have him where I want him!" The prince exclaimed in exhaution.

Soon, shots were fired from the fighter jet. They were meant to distract Hulk. And they were working. Both Thor and Carter dashed to a doorway. But Rema remained on the ground, worried about Bruce. After a roar, the Hulk jumped out of the Hellicarrier and landed on top of the jet. Rema jumped out the window, too. Spreading her wings, she made herself glide after the jet. She was careful to keep her distance. She watched as the Hulk destroyed the jet and grabbed the pilot after he ejected himself. Out of anger, the pilot was flung in a random direction. Thankfully, his parachute opened and he was safe.

The jet exploded and the Hulk hurled toward the Earth. Rema folded her wings back and dove after him "HULK!" She screamed. He looked up and saw her. It was the last thing he saw before blacking out.

* * *

"Get ready for the fun, Flag-Boy!" Victor exclaimed as he saw some men with guns walking toward them. He snarled and extended his claws. He jumped down and grabbed two of the men and tossed them out of the Hellicarrier. He saw Steve starting to move. "No! You stay there in case Stark needs you. I'll handle these guys."

* * *

More men tried to get in, but Fury shot them dead. "They're not getting through here, so what the Hell-"

Betty-Jean noticed Clint. He shot an arrow that exploded. And another one. She watched and noticed this third arrow wasn't the same. He pulled back his draw string and shot it. But before it could hit anything, Betty-Jean caught it with her hand. She snapped it in half and ran after Clint.

"It's Barton." Fury said in his com-link. "He tried to take out our systems. He's headed for the detention level. Does anybody copy?"

"This is Agent Romanoff. I copy."

"Natasha?" Betty-Jean asked. "You take care of Clint...I got his target."

"Roger that." Natasha replied.

* * *

Victor was smirking as more enemies came out. Keeping his claws sheathed for so many years, they were just itching to slash at something. but one of the enemies had an AK47. He was shooting at Steve. The Captain took a few steps back to try and get out of the way, but he slipped and fell off the ledge. Victor was quick to grab a cable and toss it to him. Steve caught it and held on for dear life.

* * *

Thor and Carter, with her skin no longer coated with concrete, ran through corridors until they found the detention room. They saw the door sliding open and Loki stepping out. "NO!" Thor exclaimed.

Carter followed him to tackle Loki, but they just phased through him. They rolled on the floor of the cage and quickly looked around to find the door sliding closed and Loki standing on the other side of the room with a smirk. "Are you ever not going to fall for that?"

Betty-Jean ran to the Detention level as fast as she could. Once she was there, she saw Thor inside the glass prison along with Carter. The thunder god swung his hammer at the wall, making a spider web crack. The disturbance caused the latch to the cage to move, threatening to release it. Loki chuckled darkly as he stepped toward the control panel. "The humans think us immortal. Should we test that?"

With a feral growl, Betty-Jean hissed, "Don't even think about it!" She stepped closer to him.

Loki smirked and held his hand above the big red button. "Any closer, and I'll let them drop."

"I like you, Loki. But it'll be a cold day in Hell when I let you get away with this." She hissed.

"Then how about a compromise? If you go with me, then I won't push the button." He smiled.

Betty-Jean kept looking back and forth between Loki and her best friend. Thor shook his head, silently begging her not to go with his brother. Carter had a look in her eyes. The feral knew that look. Carter had a plan. Slowly, the mutant reached to touch Thor's hammer. She absorbed to metal and nodded. With a sigh, Betty-Jean contracted her claws and calmed down.

Suddenly, a grunt was heard, turning all four found the lackey had been knocked out by Coulson, who was carrying a large gun. "Move away, please." Loki slowly raised his hands as the agent stepped closer. "You like this? We started working on the prototype after you sent the Destroyer. Even I don't know what it does." He pushed the button to activate the power for the gun. "Do you wanna find out?"

A golden spear head pierced Coulson's chest. "NO!" Thor and Carter exclaimed.

"COULSON!" Betty-Jean exclaimed. That was when she saw the real Loki behind the agent. The Loki she had been talking to slowly faded away. "DAMN YOU!" She screamed as she fell to her knees and sobbed. She was not like her father, she was not fuelled by anger. She was just so angry and shocked that her knees became weak.

"Take her to the ship." Loki told another lackey. He did as he was told and gently took the ferals arm and pulled her, taking her to the escape ship.

The Lie-Smith turned to his brother with an evil smirk. He pushed a button on the control panel and opened the hatch below the cage. Before he could push the button, Carter said, "You'll regret this."

"Why is that?"

"Trust me, you'll know why soon enough." Carter's tone serious. Loki just gave a dark smirk before he pushed the button.

Thor and Carter were going every way possible in the cell. Thor had already formed a plan. He just needed to time it just right. "Carter! Take my hand!" He exclaimed. it wasn't easy, but the mutant was able grab the thunder god as he kicked off the glass wall, hammer-first, and broke through the glass were the spider web crack was. They broke through in the nick of time. A moment longer and neither of hem would have survived the crash. However, they themselves, crash landed on the ground, rolling through a small field of flowers.

* * *

Loki just stared at the empty space in front of him and turned to walk away. But one statement made him stop. "You're going to lose." Coulson gasped.

"Am I?"

"It's in your nature." The agent added.

"Your heroes are scattered. My soon-to-be queen leaves with me. Your floating fortress falls from the sky. Where is my disadvantage?"

"You lack conviction." Coulson concluded.

With his eyes narrowed, Loki said, "I don't think I'm-" He never finished that sentence since Coulson pulled the trigger on the gun he was holding. It sent Loki through a wall and onto the floor. He grumbled as he stood and hurried to his get-away ship.

"So, that's what it does." (A/N: lol gotta luv one-liners)

* * *

Steve was pulling himself up by the cord. Victor was still tossing men out of the Hellicarrier. And Tony was able to get the propeller started. The Hellicarrier was finally gaining altitude. It became obvious that the lever used to slow down the propellers needed to be pulled for Tony to get out. Steve was still pulling himself up, but managed to get there soon enough and pull the lever. Tony got out and tackled the last enemy through the door. After everything that happened, Tony just lied on his back, taking deep breaths. Both Victor and Steve quickly went through the doorway and were relieved to see he was fine.


End file.
